Cleaner and reducer for crude flax-straw



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet; 1.

I J. T. SMITH. CLEANER AND REDUGER FOR URUDE .FLAX STRAW- NO. 505,069.

Patented Sqpt.-1Z

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CLEANER AND REDUOER FOR (CRUDE FLAX STRAW. No. 505,069. Patented Sept.12, 1893.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

UNTTE STATES P TENT Genres.

JOHN T. SMITH, OF HERON LAKE, MINNESOTA.

CLEANER AND REDUCER FOR CRUDE FLAX-STRAW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 505,069, datedSeptember 12, 1893. Application filed December 2. 1892- Serial No.453,861. (No model.)

thrasher; and further for breaking the fiax.

straw to separate the woody portions or shives from the fiber, theresult of the operation of the machine being a coarse tow which may beused in this unfinished state or may be further reduced and finished tomake the several grades known to the trade.

The object of the invention is to provide a machine which will handlethe rough stock very rapidly and will effectually shake out from thelong straw all of the short broken straw, dirt and woody portions, andespecially to provide a machine upon which the stock may be throwndirectly from the farmers wagon; and which in addition to shaking outthe above waste parts will break the long straw to detach the shives orwoody portions of the straw from the flexible fiber thereof.

To this end the invention consists in general in the constructions andcombinations all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed outin the claims, and will be more readily understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section thereofon the line oc oc of Fig. 1, showing. also means for separating theloose flax-seed which may remain in the straw after thrashing. Fig. 3 isan enlarged detailed cross section on the line y-y of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 isan enlarged detail showing the means for driving the conveyer and thereduction rolls. Fig. 5 is a detail showing the front end of theconveyer with the floors beneath the upper and lower parts thereof, andalso the hinged'part provided beneath the lower break roll.

As shown in the drawings, 22 represent long sills or beams which aresupported upon the strong low wheels 3. Suitable cross beams 4 serve tomake a rigid frame andupon the upper sides of the sillI arraugesuitablebear- State of Minnesota,.

slats rest.

rolls to direct the straw into the same.

ing blocks 5 for the corrugated break rolls 6 and 7. The machine isprovided with the continuous bottom or floor 8, which at its forward endis provided with the curved extension 9 attached thereto by hinges 10and extending about one-half way up on the forward side of the lowerbreak roll. Springs 11 are provided at opposite sides of the hingedboard and normally support the same and allow the board to yield when anamount of straw becomes wound about the break roll, as occasionallyhappens. Above the floor 8 I provide the wide and long conveyer composedof the endless chains 12 operating over sprockets 13 and 14 at the rearand forward ends respectively,

and connected by cross slats 15 on the lower side of the conveyer.

These cross slats operate along the floor 8 while the upper side issupported either by the second floor 16 (see Fig. 5) or by cleats 17provided on the sideboards 18 and upon which the outer ends of the SeeFig. 3. The sprocket wheels are provided upon the shafts 19 and 20respectively, which extend through bearings resting upon the sills andare driven in a manner which will be hereinafter described. Above theconveyer at each side thereof I provide other sideboards 21 over theends of said slats andwithin which the flax straw is confined. Thesesideboards run close up to the brgaak t a point about six feet back ofthe break rolls I provide a duffer or heater 22, consisting of a largewooden roll provided with a large num- Lber of the curved spikes orfingers 23; and ata point from six to ten feet back of this duffer I 3arrange a similar device 24 arranged to operate in an oppositedirection, however. Between the dufier 24: and the rear end of themachine is a very large space upon which the crude straw is pitcheddirectly from the wagon as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. In frontof the break rolls I provide an inclined conveyer 25 operating in atrough 26 and adapted to carry the cleaned and reduced fiber upward intothe baling press 27, which may be of any desired construction.Projecting beneath the rear end of the floo'rSis an inclined conveyer 28operating in a trough 29 and adapted to carry the shives, broken straw,&c.-, upward and drop the same into the fanning mill 30, where all ofthe flax seed which may remain in the straw as it comes fromthethrasher-isseparated from the shives, the seed being passed into a bag31 while the shives are elevated and discharged either into abin or intoa wagon 32 driven beneath the spout. The shaft 20 is the power shaft inthe machine and is driven by any suitable means. Upon the outer end ofthis shaft is a small pinion gear 33, which meshes with an idler gear34, which in turn engages the gear wheel 35 arranged upon the shaft ofthelower break roll. The upper break roll is driven by the lower one.The conveyer 25 is driven by the sprocket belt 36 passing over sprocketwheels 37 and 38 upon the shaft of the lower break roll and the shaft ofthe conveyor respectively. The dutfer 22 is driven fromv a large pulley39 upon the shaft 20 from whence a crossed belt 40 extends over a pulley41 on the duffer shaft. A second twisted belt 42 extends between pulleysupon the shafts of the two duffers that reverses the operation of theduffer 24 with respect to that number 23. When it is desired to run theconveyer 28, the sprockets 13 are made fast upon the shaft 19 by setscrews 45 and the lower shaft of the conveyer connected by a cross-beltwith the pulley 46 on the shaft 19.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The loose straw being thrownupon the rear end of the conveyer a large amount of waste, such as dirt,shives, broken straw, &c., is sifted through the slats of the upper partof the long conveyer and drops upon the floor 8. The stock being carriedalong by the conveyer 12 is taken up by the duffer 24 which raises thesame and throws it down forcibly upon the middle part of the conveyer,thus loosening the stock and shaking out a considerable quantity ofwaste. From thence the; straw is passed along to the duffer 22, whichagain loosens the bunches of straw to shake out remaining waste parts,and throws the same forward quite to the break rolls, which rollsrapidly draw off the straw from the conveyer and by cramping iteffectually breaks up the woody portions or shives of the straw withoutbreaking the long fiber- 1 These shives drop down in front of the lowerroll and being guided by the curved board 9 are carried back by thelower side of the roll into position to be taken up by the returningries all of the shives and waste parts back to the rear end of thefloor, from whence they drop back upon the conveyer 28 and are carriedto the fanning mill or to a waste dump. The stock passed from thebreakrolls to the conveyer 25 is quite free from shives and may be baledfor shipment to a factory where the finishing of the flax fiber iscompleted. I thus provide a cheap and very efficient machine whichpossesses the following advantages: It requires no extra help to feed itas the straw is thrown directly upon the long conveyer by the farmersfrom whom the straw is purchased; second, all of the dirt and otherimpurities which are contained in the straw as it comes from thethrasher are taken out and with it a large quantity of the woodyportions of the flax straw, thus dispensing with the extra weight ofmaterial to be shipped and greatly reducing the cost of transportation;third, the product of the machine may be baled without fear of breakingthe fiber which would in many cases result if the attempt was made tobale the unreduced straw; fourth, the machine taken as a whole may bedrawn from one part of the country to another, thus making unnecessarythe establishment of separate reducing factories and the heavy expenseattendant upon furnishing separate machines therefor. It is un-'derstood that these machines are worked merely as tributary to a mainreducing and finishing factory located in most cases at a considerabledistance.

When the machine is used for reducing hemp the fanning mill isdisconnected, and when considerable seed is to be thrashed from thestraw the second floor 16 is pushed into place. broken by the movingslats and finally swept over the forward end of the floor.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 7 1. The combination with the long conveyer, of atrough wherein the same is contained, over the floor of which the lowerside of said conveyer isadapted to operate, break rolls arranged toreceive the stock from said long conveyer, and a conveyer to receive thereduced stock from said break rolls, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the long conveyer composed of endless chains andcross slats, the floor arranged beneath the lower side of said conveyer,break rolls to receive the stock from said conveyer, said floorextending beneath said break rolls, separate conveyers for carrying awaythe reduced stock and the shives respectively, and means for driving allof said parts, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the sills, of the long conveyer mounted thereon,the floor 8 arranged beneath said conveyer, means for supporting theslats on the upper side of the I conveyer, sideboards for said conveyer,the lower slats of the long conveyer, which carbreak rolls, and theduffer arranged above said conveyer and arranged to throw the stocktoward the rolls, substantially as described.

4. The combination with the sills, of the floor 8, the conveyer arrangedto operate above said floor, the top of said conveyer being open,sideboards for the conveyer, the break rolls, said floor extendingbeneath said break rolls, and the duffel-s 22 and 24 arranged to operateabove said conveyer and a considerable distance from one another andfrom the break rolls, substantially as described and for the purposespecified.

5. The combination with the trough, having the floor 8, of a conveyerarranged to op- This holds the seed pods which are erate over said floorand having an open top,

the break rolls, said floor extending beneath said break rolls,sideboards arranged above said conveyer, and dufiers or heaters 22 and24 operating in opposite directions, said duffers being adapted to raisethe stock from said conveyer whereby upon its again falling upon theconveyer, the waste portions are taken out through said con veyer andupon said floor to be carried back by the lower side of the conveyer,substantially as described.

6. The combination with the long conveyer, of break rolls, the floor 8over which said conveyer is adapted to operate, the hinged extension ofsaid floor, said extension being curved upward beneath the forward sideof the lower roll, and a spring for normally supporting said extension,substantially as described.

7. The combination with the frame, of the wheels 3 wherein the same ismounted, the floor 8, with a long conveyor arranged to operate abovesaid floor and the endless chains and cross slats, means for supportingthe upper side of the conveyer, the break rolls, a

duffer or dulfers arranged to operate above stock from said rolls, and awaste conveyer 28 to receive the waste from the rear end of said floor8, substantially as described.

8. In a field machine for treating crude flax straw the combination of awheeled frame provided with the floor 8, of the long conveyer l2composed of chains and cross slats, ribs whereon the outer edges of saidslats are supported, side-boards for the conveyer, break rolls toreceive the stock therefrom,a hinged extension 9 ofrsaid floor, theoppositely rotating duffers 22 and 24 separated by considerable distancefrom one another and from said rolls, a fiber conveyor 25, and a wasteconveyer 28, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 15th day ofNovember,1892..

JOHN T. SMITH.

